Years of my Life
by Minna-sama
Summary: I never thought I would join the military. But I don't regret. And for my country, my grandmother and my beloved, I will fight. LieutenantAlicexColonelLuke ranks change to higher ones as the story goes...if I can make a good one . Other pairings available. OMGISUCKATSUMMARIES. This one goes back in time to the early 1900's, just like the Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood story.


Chapter 1

_England,  
July 1915._

I walked through the hallways of the huge military building, my high black boots clattering with every step I took. It was my first day here.

I am a skilled level 200 Fire Mage. I'm 15 years old. I was asked to join the military a few weeks back. I'm not as strong as the rest of the people I know, but I'm the smallest, the swiftest and the most intelligent. The military consists of the strongest magicians, gunmen and fighters. It was out of the blue that they asked me. But I wasn't surprised. I'm Alicia Rockwell.

I walked into the General's vast office. I felt weird in my dark blue military uniform. I felt…stiff. The servants have had discarded my clothes and replaced them with the new ones. The only thing I kept on me was my black long coat. I certainly couldn't live without it. I stood in front of the General, who was sitting comfortably on a cushion chair. "Sir." I greeted politely as I saluted.

"You must be Alicia Rockwell. The new Fire Mage." He said cheerily. He was elderly…around 70, I think. It's incredible how old people can rule nowadays. "Yes, Sir." I said forwardly. He let out an old chuckle.

"Cut the formalities. I certainly do not like my soldiers treat me like I'm not one of them." He explained with a wink. How enthusiastic.

A minute of silence went by before I finally spoke. "So…what shall I do now?" I thought it was rather rude of me and I quickly apologized. "Sorry."

"I'm promoting you to a Lieutenant Colonel." The old General smiled in a grandfatherly way. My jaw dropped. I just got here. It's my first day here. I don't even know where the toilets here are. And I'm promoted.

"Excuse me?" I asked rather stupidly. I wanted to punch myself for that.

"Yes. I said, Lieutenant Colonel." The General repeated. "Oh, and have you met the Colonel yet? You'll be serving under him. He doesn't have the best attitude here but I guess you could deal with that." He blabbered.

"Uh…no. Haven't seen the...Colonel yet, Sir." I muttered. I forgot what the General had said earlier, _cut the formalities. _Oh well. That's another punch for me, my useless self.

"I think he should be around right now. He usually goes back at 5. It's only 3. There's all the time in the world to meet him now. Go on," he smiled again, "Lieutenant."

The door behind me slammed shut as I spun around to look. That was an awkward conversation I had with the General. I still hadn't figured out what I was going to do next. Look for the Colonel, probably. I imagined him as an elderly grey-haired man in my head, since he was a 'Colonel'. Great. I'm stuck with a grandpa.

I walked around the building, a few soldiers as my escorts just in case there's a sudden break-in or something. Geez, this place is over-secured, not even Chuck Norris would want to break in.

I was amazed at how large the building was. Occasionally, I would pass by training halls and soldiers, shooting targets, casting spells, drawing alchemy circles and duelling in sword fights. I smiled slightly. It was rather interesting in my opinion. I had always been a fan of duels.

I slipped an orange file out of my knapsack. I was supposed to hand this over to the Colonel when I see him. I felt the urge to open it and see what was inside, but I knew it was private and presidential, for the Colonel and only the Colonel. I sighed as I walked ahead, staring at the orang cover of the file. I suddenly crashed into someone's back. What a great first impression I've made.

"I-I'm so sorry!" I quickly squealed as I bent down to pick up the files and paperwork the man had dropped. He also started picking up his dropped stuff. "Watch where you're going next time. The military is not a place for clumsy people." He growled.

I stood up, brushing the dirt and dust from my uniform. I looked at the man. He seemed young. More like a BOY than a man. He had jet black hair and a fringe so long, it almost covered both his eyes. He was wearing a similar military uniform that everyone else wore, except for the three gold stars on his shoulder boards. I was wearing two. Which meant he was way higher ranking than I was.

"Are you done observing me yet?" he suddenly broke the silence. My whole face immediately turned crimson red. I had just embarrassed myself…in front of a high ranking hottie. God dammit, I definitely crossed out 'making good first impressions' from my list of things I'm good at.

"S-sorry, Sir." I stammered as I saluted. It was only right for me to salute any shit that was higher ranking than I was. "Who are you? Never seen you before here."

"Alicia." I said. I wanted to punch myself AGAIN. "Rockwell."

He raised his eyebrows a little bit. Not that it was very noticeable; his fringe covered almost everything. "Oh, so you're my Lieutenant." He said, un-amused. Now, I raised my eyebrows. 'My' Lieutenant? Does that mean-

"Are you the Colonel?" I suddenly asked. He shot me and annoyed glare. "Who else do you think I am? The Toilet Cleaner?"

"O-oh, I'm really sorry, Sir." I apologized before he could snap another rotten comment at my stupidity.

"Oh, well. It seems my Lieutenant is just another annoying kid." He said as he walked off.

"I-" I started, anger boiling up inside me. If I could, I would've kicked that so-called Colonel in the groin. Well, that is, IF I could. Which I couldn't.

"What is it?" he asked gruffly as he spun around to face me. I shook my head in innocence and handed him the orange file. "Here you go, Sir." He grabbed it from my hand and hugged it close to his body. He turned around and continued walking away.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

That was the end of our meeting. I stared at his back until he disappeared around a corner. I never imagined he would be such a young person. The grandpa in my head quickly faded. I turned around and started walking off the opposite direction. That was just about it. My first day in the military.

* * *

(LUKE'S POV)

It was my first year here in the military. I could still remember the day I first stepped foot into this building in the middle of the city. I had started off as a mere Private. I fought a few battles alongside the soldiers and also the General himself. I was promoted a Colonel within six months. I'm not showing off or anything, but it's rare to find 18-year-old Colonels.

A few days back, I was called into General Stanley's office. My heart was beating fast. Did I do something wrong? Was I going to be executed? Was I going to be promoted? As I stepped into his office, a strong scent tickled my nose. I knew the General had been training lately, evident of the smell of gunpowder. I smirked as I made myself comfortable on the chair in front of the General's desk.

He chuckled as I sat down. I had gotten rather comfortable around him. He was like a grandfather to me. I'm an orphan, you see. "Good morning, Sir." I greeted, just as my body made contact with the chair.

"Good morning, Son." He greeted back politely. I shook my black hair out of my eyes, hoping to look my neatest in front of the man-in-charge. "Why is it that you called me here?" I asked.

"Ah, you see, you've been serving the military for a good one year." the General winked as he continued, "I'm starting to think of you as my grandson. And I'm also starting to worry about your safety. I'm going to entrust you with a Lieutenant. Someone who would protect you and watch your back…"

He wiggled his eyebrows as I stifled a laugh. He finished his sentence, "…And of course, someone who would bring you your morning coffee every day." I chuckled again. "I don't need anyone to protect me. I'm fine and good by myself."

"Of course you do." General Stanley protested, slightly disappointed at my rejection. "Please, Son, listen to me."

"But…" I hesitated before letting out my protests. I didn't want the General to feel bad.

"Well?"

I finally nodded, after a long period of silence. "Agreed. Thank you for your concern, Sir." I saluted and walked out of the office. Let's hope this brought the General satisfaction.

And today, I met my Lieutenant. My assistant. My guardian. I was rather surprised when I saw her. I had expected a huge, muscly man who could crush through anything in front of him when he got mad. Even me. Never would I have expected a small-sized blonde magician.

All in all, she was quite pretty. Wait. What am I thinking? Pretty? Nope. I don't even care about these things. As long as she was skilled and could protect my back. I shook my head free of my silly thoughts and continued walking ahead. Again, I thought about the Lieutenant again.

She had worn her hair in a nice neat ponytail, a few stray strands of blonde cradled the sides of her face. She was cute. Wait, why am I thinking about these silly nonsense again? I shook my head harder and looked around, hoping no one caught me doing that. I glanced at my watch and sighed. Time to go home.

I sat alone on the bed of my apartment. I was known as the heartless Colonel. I never gave a damn about what other people thought. All I wanted was to protect my country. That was the whole reason I joined the military. Well, maybe not the WHOLE reason. I had nothing else to do in life. I was an orphan, after all. With no family to go home to. With no one to care about me.

I didn't regret joining the military. There was the kind, loving General who treated me as his own grandson. There were fun soldiers to hang out and train with. And of course, beautiful secretaries. I had never thought twice about love. It was an absolute waste of time. But lust wasn't.

I looked at my watch again, after sitting alone for hours. 8 o' clock. I stood up and put on my black long coat. It was time. I drove down the bustling streets of the city. I finally stopped in front of a rundown-looking pub. As I walked into the noisy pub, I was greeted by a few women who were fancily dressed up.

This was how I spent my nights.

* * *

(ALICIA'S POV)

My eyes shot open the moment I heard a cockerel crow from afar. I stretched my arms and legs and got out bed. I looked around me. This was nothing like home. Not like I WOULD want to go home or anything…

I had nobody to go home to. My parents used to be in the military. They were killed in the battlefield. This made me want to join the military even more. To avenge them. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall of my apartment. 6 o' clock. Sigh…

I quickly changed into my military uniform and slipped on my thick black long coat. It was autumn and the city was getting chillier and chillier day by day. I could just wait until winter comes and the snow starts falling.

I locked the door of my apartment and took the elevator down to the lobby. Just as I walked out into the cold, I hailed a passing cab which stopped immediately. I got in and began my second day in the military.

* * *

_Knock Knock. _I knocked the door of the Colonel's office, a mug of hot coffee in a hand and a bunch of files in the other. How did I know it was the Colonel's office? The obvious '_Colonel Anderson' _pasted on the door right in front of me. I took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open, trying my best not to spill the coffee and drop the files.

The slight noise that I created made the Colonel jump up from his chair to face me. "Oh, it's you, Lieutenant." He muttered as he sat back down. I placed the coffee on his work desk and handed him the files.

After I got rid of the things in my hands, I stood straight, clapped my feet together and saluted. "Good morning, Sir." The Colonel saluted back while sitting down, mumbling a small "Good morning."

I slipped out a piece of paper from my uniform pocket and put in on his table. "Here's your schedule for today, Sir."

"Schedule?" he lifted his eyebrows as if the word _schedule _was new to him.

"Yes, Sir. Your schedule. The General said that you always mess up while doing your work. So…I made a schedule for you to make everything easier."

"Did I ask you to?" he glared at me.

"U-uh, no, Sir. I'm sorry. But I thought-" Oh. My hard work was just about to go to waste. How unappreciative of him. Now, it was my turn to lift my eyebrows when I heard the Colonel chuckle ever so softly.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. All your hard work won't go to waste."

"B-but-" Stupid Colonel.

"I was just fucking with ya."

I wasn't really expecting that. I wondered if the General would spank him if he had said it in front of him. I sighed and nodded, backing away from his desk and walking towards my own desk. Great. I would have to spend my days working in this office with the Colonel. I began scribbling notes on the papers on my desk.

A few hours passed. I saw the Colonel standing up from his chair and stretching his arms while yawning. He walked towards the door. "S-sir, where are you going?" I asked. Damn it, Lieutenant Colonel Rockwell. Speak properly!

"You don't want to miss lunch, do you, Lieutenant?"

"Oh…lunch. I almost forgot. I'm coming, Sir." I scratched my head and scrabbled to bunch all of the scribbled papers together in a messy stack. I could see the Colonel rolling his eyes from the corner of my eye.

"Luke."

"What?"

"You can call me Luke when we're alone. Colonel makes me sound like I'm seventy or something." He said. I coughed. He continued, "And I'll call you Alicia. When we're alone, that is. Lieutenant makes you sound like my grandma."

Grandma? He had the guts, but I couldn't defy. "Yes, S- Luke. Alice, actually." I muttered, much to his amusement. At least he was satisfied. Oh, whatever.

"Let's go for lunch then," he motioned for me to follow him, "Alice."

* * *

Lunch was my favourite part of the day. I met a few nice people, whom I referred to as 'friends' now. I had sat down alone at a table with a tray of food in front of my eyes. The Colonel had insisted he wasn't hungry and he wanted to see the General. Alone.

Before I could pull the tray of food towards me, a black haired girl in a military uniform sat next to me. "Hello, you must be Alicia Rockwell. Nice to meet you." She said cheerily, holding her hand out for me to shake. I shook it, a little stunned.

"Y-yes I am. And you are…?" I asked, feeling a bit dazed. "I'm Second Lieutenant Hermione Leroy." She winked, glad that I shook her hand. She pulled back. Within a few minutes, we were chatting away like old friends. She was a nice, enthusiastic 20-year-old. I could tell from her features that she wasn't from around here. She was, in fact, a foreigner. I had guessed so since the very beginning.

I knew a lot about her already. She was a rather loud, chatty person. She loved cats, she joined the military when she was 17 and she had a huuuuge crush on the Colonel. And she had threatened me to keep that a secret, which I would have without her telling me to. I wasn't those kinds of un-trustable freaks.

"So…I see you're a Fire Mage, huh? How wonderful! I had always wanted to meet a magician. Let's be friends forever!" she cried dramatically. I couldn't help but giggle. She was so funny. "And you're a gunman? That's cool." I complimented her back. She laughed out loud, nodding in agreement. She looked at her watch.

"Ooh, it's already two! Gotta get back to work. See you soon!" she chuckled and waved at me before she left. "Bye." I simply said. I got off my own chair and walked towards the Colonel's office. Sigh. It was only two. I had a long day ahead of me. And all this paper work was making me bored.

The minute I stepped into the office, a thick blue book came flying pass my head. I looked up in shock and saw the Colonel and another man yelling and throwing books at each other. I cleared my throat and thundered. "COLONEL." Both men turned to look at me.

I palmed my face. "Colonel, are you slacking off? Don't you have a LOT to do?" The Colonel let out a nervous laugh and ruffled his black hair. "I HAVE been doing a lot. Then, this man barged in and interrupted me." The other man growled and argued back.

"Interrupted you? You were supposed to send these to my office 3 hours ago!" he yelled. The Colonel raised his hands up in defeat and sighed. "Okay, my apologies…Brigadier General." Oh, so this was the Brigadier General. Good that I've met him already. He looked to be around 25 or so. He walked over to me once he finally realized my existence and bowed politely.

"And who may this be?" he asked. "One of your MANY toys, Colonel?" Toys? "Of course not, Sir Bastard! She's my Lieutenant. Geez hasn't the General told you anything?" the Colonel grumbled and crossed his arms. "Where are my files, Lieutenant?"

I walked over to him after saluting the Brigadier General. "Here. And don't slack off." I snapped. He scoffed and sat back down at his desk, sorting out the files and throwing pieces of paper everywhere. What a messy person. I turned to the Brigadier General.

"Would you like some tea while you're here, Sir?"

"Ah, no thank you. And Edwin would be just fine, Lieutenant." He grinned, his eyes twinkling. "I was just about to leave. Bye, Luke!" he yelled in a sing-song manner as he disappeared out the door leaving the two gaping.

"So THAT'S the Brigadier General. He's a really nice person indeed." I said as I nodded, helping the Colonel sort out his files. He let out an annoyed groan. "Yeah, yeah. And don't try to get too close to him or anything. He has a girlfriend."

"Don't worry, Sir."

He narrowed his red eyes at me and glared. I gulped. Did I say something wrong? Oh.

"Luke." I corrected myself as he nodded, going back to his work. It was indeed hard to remember but I had to listen to the Colonel.

* * *

And this was how we met.


End file.
